DNA Favorites Blog

This is Richard Hill, founder of DNA Favorites. I don't write long, detailed blogs. My blogging style matches that of my website: clear, concise summaries with links to learn more.

I typically share these posts to my DNA Favorites Facebook page and to my RichardHillDNA accounts on Twitter and LinkedIn. You can follow me in whatever medium you prefer.

Mar 08, 2023

7 Celebrity Surprises from "Finding Your Roots"

This article titled "7 ​​Celebrities Who Discovered Wild Things About Their Family History" summarizes some of the surprises from this PBS genealogy show.

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Mar 06, 2023

4 Steps to Finding Your Birth Family with a DNA Test

Genetic genealogist Diahan Southard explains how to find your birth family in this Family Tree Magazine article.

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Mar 04, 2023

Great News for Adoptees and Their Families

MyHeritage is giving away another 5,000 DNA kits, for free, to adoptees seeking to find their biological family members, and to parents and other family members looking for a child placed for adoption years ago. This is the third round of the DNA Quest program of which I was named to the Advisory Board back in 2018. You can apply from this page.

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Mar 03, 2023

Abandoned Siblings Reunited 78 Years Later

A mother abandoned her five children and they were adopted into different homes. Thanks to DNA testing, two sisters were reunited 78 years later.

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Mar 01, 2023

New Time Predictor Reports for Y-DNA Tests

Family Tree DNA has introduced a better way to estimate the time to a common ancestor when testing the Y chromosome. Karen Cummings explains in this blog post.

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Feb 27, 2023

A Genetic Genealogy Reunion Uncovers Slave Ancestors

When Alex reunited with his birth family in Canada, he was shocked to discover one of the first families of freed slaves to settle in Canada.

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Feb 24, 2023

Adoptee Gets a Direct DNA Match to Her Birth Father

A video from a Utah TV station shares this DNA success story by interviewing both the daughter and her newly found father.

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Feb 22, 2023

Distinguishing Grandparent DNA Matches

How do you know if a grandparent DNA match is maternal or paternal? This blog post explains two tools for doing that.

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Feb 20, 2023

Adopted Womans Finds Her Siblings After More Than 60 Years

Suzy tracked down her birth mother in Australia many years ago. But she had to wait for genetic genealogy to identify her father in England.

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Feb 17, 2023

Search for Birth Family Leads Man Across Three Continents

This DNA testing success story was more complex than most. But it made for a fascinating story.

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Feb 15, 2023

Ancestry Donates 2500 Test Kits to DNA Reunion Project

The DNA Reunion Project provides DNA kits free of charge to Holocaust survivors and their children. Now Ancestry will donate 2,500 kits.

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Feb 13, 2023

Woman Finds Lost Father thru DNAngels

Any adoptee looking for his or her birth family should check out DNAngels. This amazing non-profit has solved thousands of cases including this one.

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Feb 10, 2023

Baby Saved from the Nazis Reunited with Family

Left on a bench as a baby, this Holocaust survivor finally found her family at 80 through a match on MyHeritage.

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Feb 08, 2023

Time to Register for RootsTech

This huge genealogy conference returns to Salt Lake City on March 2-4, 2023. You can be there or attend virtually for free. Register for either option here.

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Feb 06, 2023

Surprising Differences in Identical Twins Raised Apart

Identical twins have the same DNA. But this unusual case sheds some unexpected light on nature vs. nurture.

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Feb 03, 2023

Learn About The DNA Reunion Project

A new worldwide effort to reunite Jewish families separated by the Holocaust gives free DNA kits to survivors or their children.

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Feb 01, 2023

How Accurate is Ancestry's ThruLines Tool?

ThruLines suggests the common ancestors that may be responsible for a DNA match. Roberta Estes explains the tool and tests it for us.

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Jan 30, 2023

Adoptee Finds His 102-Year-Old Birth Mother

Louisiana made is easier for adopted adults to access their birth certificates. And this mother uploaded her DNA at age 102.

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Jan 27, 2023

Full Siblings Placed for Adoption Find Each Other

Two full siblings were each adopted at birth and placed with different families. They finally found each other through a DNA test.

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Jan 25, 2023

Enhancements to the DNA Coverage Tool

Another great tool at DNA Painter has been updated with further enhancements. Read about it here.

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Jan 23, 2023

DNA Solves an Abandoned Baby Mystery

Abandoned in a garden as an infant, Tina died without knowing why. But her daughter used DNA to discover the secrets behind her mother's story.

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Jan 20, 2023

Solving Genealogical Mysteries

Several DNA tests can help you solve genealogical mysteries. See this page to compare the strengths and limitations of the top five DNA testing companies. Then click the links to learn more and see current prices.

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Jan 19, 2023

Genetic Genealogy DNA Test Only $49

MyHeritage is having a winter sale. Their DNA test has been reduced from $89 to just $49. The sale ends soon so order now.

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Jan 18, 2023

How to Handle a DNA Test Surprise

As more people do genetic genealogy DNA tests, some of them make shocking family discoveries. This article provides advice and support options.

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Jan 16, 2023

DNA Quest Leads Man to Granddaughter and Brother

Here is yet another success story from the DNA Quest program sponsored by MyHeritage.

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